Tag Archives: Texas Legislature
‘Shamed and Stigmatized’: Austin Woman Forced by Hospital to Bury Fetal Remains Testifies Against State Law
Blake Norton, who shared her experience publicly for the first time with the Observer earlier this year, testified in federal court that the forced fetal burial left her “shocked, upset, confused.”
On the first day of the trial over Texas’ fetal burial law, abortion providers had a rejoinder to the claim that they don’t know how patients feel about the...Read More
Is the Realm of Possibility Expanding for Texas Democrats Running for Congress?
From the swingiest seat to one of the most conservative, Democratic congressional challengers are raising big money — and big questions about the boundaries of a potential blue wave.
Halfway through the summer, Texas Democrats’ impressive fundraising efforts show no signs of cooling down. Beto O’Rourke has attracted the most attention wi...Read More
A Timely, Enraging Documentary Humanizes the Rape Kit Backlog Crisis
Texas lawmakers have turned to crowdfunding to test rape kits, absent adequate state funding.
In 1996, just days after her 17th birthday, Helena was abducted at knifepoint from a self-service car wash near her home in Los Angeles, held for 10 hours and r...Read More
Could Private Prison Cash Become a Liability for Texas Democrats?
Two candidates in a San Antonio special election are beefing over contributions from a private prison firm linked to Trump’s family separations.
Trump’s family separations scandal has reared its head in the San Antonio race to replace disgraced former state Senator Carlos Uresti. On Tuesday, Democratic...Read More
Automatic Voter Registration Could Add 2 Million Texans to the Rolls. That’s Why it Won’t Happen.
By maintaining one of the least accessible voting systems in the country, the Texas GOP has kept a demographically favorable electorate encased in political amber.
“Texas isn’t a red state; it’s a non-voting state” is a political truism used frequently by Democrats to explain why they can win statewide — and also...Read More
On the Road With Beto: Is O’Rourke’s Personality-Driven Campaign Reaching the Right Voters?
The next several months will be an experiment at break-neck speed to see if O’Rourke can overcome low name recognition and build a rapport with non-white voters.
On the Road With Beto: Is O’Rourke’s Personality-Driven Campaign Reaching the Right Voters? The next several months will be an experiment at break-neck spee...Read More
Dan Patrick, the Person, is Trying to Save the World from Dan Patrick, the Politician
When Patrick is presented with collective problems, his response is inevitably to respond in terms of individual action.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced last week that he would personally donate “up to 10” metal detectors to Santa Fe ISD, the school district where ei...Read More
Cash-Strapped Rural Texas Schools Look to Universities for Help
From East Texas to the Rio Grande Valley, universities are helping struggling schools train staff, start enrichment programs and expand space for district activities.
On June 20, a few weeks after Commerce ISD released students for the summer, about 10 fifth-grade students gather in teacher Cari Aaron’s classroom, playing m...Read More
Fringe Factor: CJ Grisham and the Paranoid Heart of Texas’ Gun Rights Movement
After video of Grisham getting slammed against a police car went viral in 2013, he took the lead in Texas’ gun deregulation movement. Now, he’s aiming for constitutional carry.
With the far right ascendant in Texas politics, once-marginal ideas and people have found a place in the political mainstream. Fringe Factor is an introduction ...Read More